Building community in the Lone Star State
Crusoe spent a week in Armstrong County, Texas, volunteering at the High Plains Food Bank, hosting an open house for more than 150 neighbors and welcoming 120 county officials to Project Llano, which an SER study estimates will bring $28 million a year in local taxes.
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When Crusoe selects a site for a data center, we plan to be part of that community for a long time. Our goal is to be the kind of neighbor, employer and partner that communities welcome. We earn that by acting responsibly and being transparent.
A few weeks ago, we got a chance to turn that commitment into action in Armstrong County, Texas, where we are developing a project for Google.
We kicked off the week by volunteering alongside our friends at Google and Serena with the High Plains Food Bank in Claude, helping sort food for distribution, assisting community members with grocery selections, and carrying items to their vehicles.
On Tuesday evening, Crusoe and Google hosted a community open house in the Claude ISD high school gym. More than 150 neighbors and community leaders came out to learn more about Project Llano, where more than 5,500 skilled laborers are on-site daily building an AI data center that will have a direct connection to the existing Serena Goodnight wind farm.
In addition to digging into details of the site design, the Crusoe team got a chance to share how we are working with Armstrong County, TxDOT, and local law enforcement to improve traffic flow and safety throughout construction, paying for new road signs, traffic signals, a full-time traffic deputy and school crossing guards.
According to a recent study by SER, the project will generate an estimated $28 million in local tax revenue each year, and more than $2.4 billion in local tax revenue over the life of the project. This provides vital funding for local schools, emergency services and infrastructure improvements in Armstrong County. As Claude ISD Superintendent Brent Kirkland told Amarillo’s NewsChannel 10: “The real positive is the heartbeat of our community, and that’s the school. This is really going to benefit our school and our kids, which benefits the community.”
“The real positive is the heartbeat of our community, and that’s the school. This is really going to benefit our school and our kids, which benefits the community.” - Brent Kirkland, Claude ISD Superintendent
On Thursday, Crusoe welcomed more than 120 county officials from across the U.S. to our Armstrong County site as part of the National Association of Counties (NACo) Energy Symposium. Crusoe Co-founder, President and Chief Strategy Officer Cully Cavness joined a panel discussion with Armstrong County Judge Adam Ensey and Childress County Judge Kim Jones to speak about their experience working with Crusoe as a partner.
The judges expressed appreciation for how the company has taken time to engage the local community and understand their unique needs from the earliest stages of development.
After a bus tour of the project site, a few lucky Crusoe team members even got to enjoy a night at the local rodeo, adding one more item to the list of many things we love about Texas and the communities we call home. It was a busy week with a lot of boots on the ground. For Crusoe, community engagement is core to how we operate, in Armstrong County and every community we call home.
Frequently
asked questions
What company is building the data center in Claude, Texas?
Crusoe is the developer of Google's AI data center campus in Armstrong County, Texas, near Claude and outside Amarillo. Construction broke ground in June 2025, and more than 5,500 skilled laborers are on-site daily. Crusoe and Google hosted a community open house in the Claude ISD high school gym, where more than 150 neighbors and community leaders learned about the site design.
What do data centers pay in taxes?
Large data centers can pay millions of dollars a year in local taxes. A recent study estimates that Google's AI data center campus in Armstrong County, Texas, developed by Crusoe, will generate about $28 million in local tax revenue each year. That revenue helps fund local schools, emergency services and infrastructure improvements in the county.
What happens when a data center is built near you?
A large data center build can bring thousands of construction workers and heavier traffic to local roads. At Google's data center campus in Armstrong County, Texas, more than 5,500 skilled laborers are on-site daily. Crusoe, the developer, is working with Armstrong County, TxDOT and local law enforcement to improve traffic flow and safety, paying for new road signs, traffic signals, a full-time traffic deputy and school crossing guards.
How does a community benefit from a data center?
A data center can benefit its community through local tax revenue and through investments in roads, safety and energy efficiency. In Armstrong County, Texas, tax revenue from Google's data center campus is expected to support schools, emergency services and infrastructure, and Google's Energy Impact Fund is supporting efficiency upgrades in public buildings and homes. Claude ISD Superintendent Brent Kirkland told NewsChannel 10 the project is "really going to benefit our school and our kids."
